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Nashville mayor vetoes English-only, calls it "mean-spirited"

12:43 H | Topics: Immigration - Language - Politics - States

Nashville's music industry might have turned its back on our friends the Dixie Chicks, but the city's mayor has shown himself strong against English-only activists who were looking to call attention to the rise in immigration:

Even supporters acknowledged that the bill to make English the official language of Nashville was mostly a symbolic slap at illegal immigration.

But even that was too much for Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. He vetoed the measure, saying it was unconstitutional, unnecessary and mean-spirited.

"This ordinance does not reflect who we are in Nashville," Purcell said.

The Metro Council passed a measure 23-14 last week that would have required all government communication to be in English. But there was a huge loophole: The bill allowed multilingual communication whenever required by federal rules or when needed "to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare."

The Mayor sent the vetoed bill back to the City Council where he says he hopes "it will remain, never to be seen again."

Via / CNN

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